On Saturday, 16 teams from all around the Houston area made their way south of the city to Manvel High School for the first weekend of 7-on-7 State Qualifying Tournaments.

Traditional 7-on-7 powers such as Baytown Lee and Brenham were in attendance, but it was Houston Independent School District that put on a surprising show.

Now known for the summertime sport, HISD only had three teams entered in the tournament. All three won their respective pools and advanced to the semifinals. While Lamar and Sharpstown lost in that round and fell just shy of a bid to the state tournament in College Station, Chavez took home the title on Saturday.

The Lobos, along with Missouri City Elkins, made it to the final and both teams automatically received berths in the state tournament.

The theme of Saturday's action was young talent. It was in abundance throughout all four pools. However, perhaps no team showed a brighter future than Sharpstown.

A perennial doormat for many years, the Apollos made a drastic turnaround in 2007 behind the arm and legs of class of 2010 quarterback Sam Carter. Carter, along with receiver William Peck and linebacker Stephen Maeweather, gives Sharpstown a formiddable trio of juniors-to-be.